Make A Change
by DreamAsLongAsYouCan
Summary: Coming from two different worlds, Gabriella and Troy couldn't be more different, but they still feel a connection. Trying to convince each other and all the people surrounding them, that their relationship is meant to be, they must fight for what they believe is right.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everybody. Loooong time no chapter, I know. This past few months have just been craaazzy. But here it is. Another story that's been stuck in my head. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I'm just playing with them. ;))**

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It was just another normal Friday for Gabriella Montez, a junior at East High school. The cheerleaders were wearing their outfits even though it only was about 10 degrees outside with a heavy layer of snow. The Basketball team was wearing their formal game-day suits which were mandatory for them on game days and the teachers were more excited about the Wildcats playing against the Knights than Gabriella was.

She enjoyed basketball. She is even going to the game. She just doesn't like the whole set ups for it. It would be enough for her if the boys wear their game-day suits and the cheerleaders did their thing. But why did there have to be posters everywhere? Why did everybody have to talk about it for over a week?

Right, because Troy Bolton was the captain of the team.

Gabriella sighed while she closed her locker. She spotted Taylor and Sharpay in the hallway and made her way over to them, smiling softly. "Hey, girls, did you already start the history paper?" she asked them while they turned their heads in her direction.

Taylor smiled at her in greeting and nodded. Sharpay frowned. "No, why? When is it due again? Today is Friday, right?"

Gabriella nodded. "Yes, it's due Monday," she replied, while dodging some students.

"Shit, I have to start AND finish it Sunday then." Sharpay mumbled more to herself rather than to Gabriella and Taylor.

"Don't worry, Shar, it was easy," Taylor assured her and winked at her. Sharpay gave her a "yeah, right" look and changed the subject.

"Should I pick you guys up tonight for the game?" Sharpay asked the both of them and they smiled in gratitude.

Gabriella waved when she made her way to physics while Sharpay and Taylor had chemistry.

She sighed again and sat down in her normal spot, in the back of the classroom.

She doodled mindlessly on her notebook and when she looked up to see if the teacher was ready to start the class, she was greeted with two piercing blue eyes. He smiled at her and gave her a nod. She smiled back and winked at him – their usual greeting. Gabriella looked down again and shook her head. Why they did that? She had no clue. Why they never spoke? Easy – he was the most popular guy in school and she, let's just say she fell more into the category of the nerds. Nothing more, nothing less. They weren't meant to be friends or anything else for that matter.

One time, she remembered, she wanted to ask him if she could switch tables with him, because Chad, his best friend, was simply pissing her off, but the second she attempted to make one step, Amanda, the head cheerleader came up to her and told her to "not even think about it". After that, Gabriella just lived with it and tried her best to ignore it.

She didn't like that East High was ruled by cliques and stereotypes and unfortunately, by bullies.

But she could handle them, most of the time at least. It just took her a great effort in doing so. She wasn't used to defending herself every single day at her old school. But she wouldn't let them change her, just because she liked science and school in general and wasn't participating in any kind of sport.

It was just funny to her, that the most popular guy in school acknowledged her and even smiled at her and the people who were supposed to be his friends were the meanest people you could meet. She didn't understand it. Gabriella sighed again and pushed a lock behind her ear. When she looked down on her notebook again she saw a note sitting there with her name on it.

**What's with the sighs today? – Troy**

She smiled softly to herself. Why he bothered to notice? No idea. But she appreciated it. Only having girlfriends can be tiring at some points. Just talking to a male friend would be the best thing that could happen to Gabriella, she just wasn't meant to have one, apparently.

**Just tired, I guess. – Gabriella**

She threw it back to his desk, sitting diagonal from him. He picked it up and wrote something back.

**But you're still coming to the game tonight, right? – Troy**

She opened it and frowned. Why would he care?

**I don't know for sure, yet. But there'll be so many other people cheering you on, it won't matter if I'll be there. – Gabriella**

This time, it was his turn to sigh and began writing again.

**If you say so. Hope to see you there though. – Troy**

For some weird reason, Gabriella's heart sped up for a second. But she tried to ignore it and listen to the teacher, who had been talking throughout their little "talking". She didn't want to get caught, not thinking of the teacher, though.

Gabriella closed her locker for the end of the day and for this week for the matter and tightened her scarf around her neck, knowing it's gonna be really cold while walking the eight blocks from school home. She didn't mind the walk, usually. On days like this though, she dreaded it.

Walking down the three familiar steps of the entrance and exit of East High, she smiled hearing the soft crunchy sound the snowflakes made under her boots. Fishing for her Ipod in her bag, she found it and plugged the earplugs in her ears. Looking down and not listening to her surroundings, she didn't hear Tyler Brown, coming up behind her with snow and dirt in his hand.

Next thing she knew, Tyler was putting his hand in her face, and practically duped Gabriella's face with snow. He started laughing hysterically and ran away, back to the rest of his basketball teammates.

The only thing he didn't notice was that in the process, Gabriella got a little piece of dirt in her right eye and she didn't get it out. She crouched down, trying to get it out of her eye. She didn't have much luck.

Luckily, Taylor came to her rescue. "What the hell happened, Gabriella?" she exclaimed and ran to her immediately.

"Something flew in my eye," she replied and tried to stay still while Taylor proceeded to take the dirt out of her eye.

"Got it," Taylor said after 3 minutes and smiled a relief smile. So did Gabriella. Taylor looked over her shoulder and frowned. "Why is Troy Bolton shoving Tyler Brown? I thought they were on the same team?"

For a moment Gabriella's eyes doubled their size, but then she shrugged it off. "I don't know." She replied and started heading home after thanking Taylor.

Keeping her head down and ignoring the pain in her right eye, Gabriella concentrated on not falling down. She still had halfway to go, which made her shiver even more. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, grabbing her and the next thing she knew, she saw Troy Bolton laying down on the ground because she flipped him over. She gasped and immediately started apologizing and helped him up. "I'm so sorry, Troy. I didn't know it was you."

Troy laughed. "I didn't know you could do that, Gabi, but I'm glad to know you can defend yourself," he chuckled, while she smiled shyly. "You dropped this," he said after a short silence. He held out a picture of her little sister, Sam. She snatched it away from his hand and hid it in her hand.

"Thanks," she said softly and started walking away. After three steps, she stopped again, turning around, seeing him still standing in the exact same spot. "Thanks for defending me back in school. I appreciate it," she told him and smiled at him softly. He nodded with a smile. "I'll see you at the game, Wildcat," she whispered the last word, hoping he didn't hear it and continued walking home.

"You know I can give you a ride, Gabi," he shouted after her.

She turned around again, feeling tingles in the pit of her stomach. "You live on the other side of town, Troy," she shouted back. "I'll be fine, you make sure you won't be late for warm-ups!" she waved and started walking away again.

"What about after the game?"

Inwardly, she rolled her eyes. He wasn't giving up fast. "What about it?", shrugging her shoulders.

"I assume you get a ride from Sharpay, bringing you to the game?" he asked, somehow already knowing the answer. "And I know for a fact, that she is going to the after-party. I also know that you won't go. She will offer you a ride home though, you will decline and walk home in the dark, alone. And I know for a fact that I don't like that, so let me give you a ride home after the game." He said slowly making his way over to her.

She glanced at the black BMW he had parked on the other side of the streets a couple feet away. "I wouldn't want to be the reason the captain would be late for the after party." She replied, though she wanted to accept his offer immediately.

"I don't care if I'll be late if that means saving you from some creeps." He said, smiling lopsided at her.

She sighed. "That's nice and all, but I care. If someone finds out I am the reason for you being late I will have an awful Monday."

"Nobody will touch you on Monday or any other day. At least not in a way that will hurt you, I promise, Gabi," he said with determined eyes.

"Thanks, but I like walking," she admitted and looked down for a second. She wanted to turn around and continue walking home.

"Please," he said with sad eyes and pouting lips, which made Gabriella laugh.

"You don't play fair, Bolton," she commented and closed her eyes, took a deep breath and opened them again. "Okay! See you tonight."

With that, she made her way home and saw in the corner of her eye how Troy made a fist bump in the air. She laughed silently to herself, shaking her head.

Walking down the familiar halls of East High, the three girls giggled. All of them wearing something Wildcat related, meaning red-white. Gabriella was wearing her white jeans with a red hoodie and black boots. Her hair was left in its usual curls. Stepping into the gym, she saw the Knights and Wildcats warming up. Shooting and passing, getting familiar to the orange sphere again. Sharpay was leading them over to seats in the first row, right behind the bench of the Wildcats, which made Gabriella swallow.

She blinked twice, clearing her vision. She still had some trouble with her right eye, though it wasn't as bad as it was before.

Gabriella looked around the gym and once again was impressed by the atmosphere. How a sport could unite so many different types of people was beyond her, but she liked it, that's why she was here, because for one night, they were all the same, rooting for their team to win. Nothing else mattered.

She heard Taylor giggling, She followed her vision and saw Chad waving in her direction, a huge smile on his face. She smiled softly, happy for Taylor. "Look how good Zeke looks in his jersey, I would love it if he could wear that to bed sometime, I could rip it of off him," Sharpay fantasized and laughed.

Gabriella and Taylor started laughing with her. That was typical for Sharpay. "So I decided that Gabriella is coming with us tonight to the after party," Sharpay exclaimed.

Gabriella frowned. "Can't. Curfew." She replied, making Sharpay and Taylor groan in response.

Gabriella felt her phone buzz on her thigh. Flipping her phone open she saw an unopened text from an unknown number.

**Need u right now. Meet me at the locker rooms. Pls – Troy**

She swallowed and didn't even think about not going. "I'll be right back," she told the girls and made her way to the locker rooms. She slowly walked through the locker room, when suddenly she got pulled by her arm in another body in a dark room. She could feel his breath on her left cheek. "Tell me I won't mess up tonight and that we will win the damn game," he told her while breathing hard.

Gabriella was confused and immediately concerned. "Troy, you won't mess up, what are you talking about? You are one of the best players out there. Your shots are almost always in and you are great at defending. You know your team has your back. You're not the only one on court, they will all help you. They want this as much as you do, don't beat yourself up about this. Try to take deep breaths," she told him while gently rubbing her hands up and down his built arms, feeling the muscles flex under her touch. "I know you can do it and you will do great out there. I believe in you. You need to believe in yourself. That's the most important thing. Sport is about believing in yourself and your abilities. Believe in yourself and you will find your way, Wildcat" she whispered the last sentence, still subconsciously rubbing his arms up and down slowly.

His hands were resting on her waist and he was taking deep breaths, slowly calming down. "Thank you, Gabi. I needed this," he admitted and rested his forehead on hers, which made her breath hitch. She could practically feel him smile. "Wait for me at your locker after the game?" he asked and she nodded, knowing he felt it. "If I could, I would stay with you in here, but I kinda have to attend a game, Gabi," he said and slightly kissed her forehead.

"Okay," she whispered, smiling softly and trying hard to fight the dizziness.

He took her hand in his, lacing their fingers in the process and walked them back to the entrance of the gym. He turned to her with a determined look on his face and smiled. "Cheer for me?" he said but it sounded more like a question to which she only nodded. It was the only think she could do, really.

She made her way back to the bleachers and took her seat next to Sharpay. "You okay?" Sharpay asked. Gabriella nodded and smiled softly, concentrating on the game in front of her, more than confused.

What the hell just happened? Why was this so easy for her to calm down Troy? Why did he text her? He could have asked any other girl, he could have asked freaking Amanda and she would have done in, gladly.

Why starting now? Why did he want to have contact now after so many shy waves and winks and smiles in the hallways and classrooms?

But most importantly, why did it feel natural to her?

Gabriella couldn't concentrate on the game at all. All those questions were swirling around in her mind.

The final whistle blew and she let out a heavy breath she didn't even realize she was holding. The Wildcats won 36:18 which made Gabriella smile happily and turn to Taylor and Sharpay who were jumping up and down laughing.

"We won, that is so awesome, now nobody will dwell on the fact that this wasn't a great game at the after party," Sharpay shared and clapped her handy enthusiastically.

"Well guys, have fun there, I'm gonna head home, I hope you have a great time there," Gabriella said and gave each of them a hug.

"You sure you don't want me to drive you home?" Sharpay asked concerned.

Gabriella shook her head. "Nah, you know me, I li-," she was cut off by Taylor.

"Like walking, we know," she said giggling while shaking her head. "One day, you're gonna catch a bad cold from always walking in those temperatures,"

"We'll see about that, I'm pretty stubborn," Gabriella laughed.

"We know," Sharpay and Taylor said in unison and then made their way to the other side of the gym, where all the popular kids were talking and cheering for the basketball team. Only a certain someone was missing, Gabriella noted.

Unconsciously, she smiled and slowly made her way to her locker.

"Looking good in red and white, Montez," she heard a familiar voice teasing her. She was leaning against her locker with one foot resting on it. Her head whipped in the direction his voice came from and she smiled at seeing him.

He was wearing dark blue jeans with a red hoodie that said "Go Wildacats" on it and his usual black adidas sneakers. "Back at you," she responded shyly. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to pull a mom here, but I don't think it's such a good idea for you to go out there with still wet hair," she shared and looked into his piercing blue eyes.

He smirked. "Let's get back in that janitor's closed then, I liked it in there," he admitted and winked at her, walking closer to her, closing the distance between them. He was standing in front of her now. "We didn't have much space in there, therefore having to stand close. I like being close to you, Gabi,"

She inhaled sharply. "Wh-Why are you saying that all of a sudden? Why start now? What changed? I'm so confused. I have so many questions. I-," she was interrupted by him pulling her into a hug.

"There is an easy explanation to this," he whispered in her ear. "I no longer have the will and the strength to stay away from you, Gabi. I don't wanna just smile at you anymore, I wanna talk to you, sit with you at lunch. I even wanna," he stopped himself.

"You want to…what?" she whispered back.

"I even wanna hold you like this, I want you to be in my arms, I wanna protect you, kiss you," he whispered, the last two words were barely audible.

Gabriella's breath hitched and she swallowed hard. "I feel comfortable in your arms," she said silently and smiled softly into his shoulder, her arms winding around his torso.

She felt his breath near her ear. "Good," he repied and tightened his grip on her. "Wanna go and grab something to eat?" Troy asked her after a while. "I'm starving,"

Gabriella giggled and pulled back from their hug. "I'd like that," she smiled up at him.

He nodded and took her hand in his, lacing them in the process and leading her out of East High.

Half an hour later they were comfortably seated in a subway restaurant, eating and talking. They were laughing and joking around. Something Gabriella never thought would ever do with Troy. He was easy to talk with and it felt natural to talk to him. She didn't have to be scared of something she might say that he wouldn't like. He would accept it and that's how she liked it.

They didn't even notice how the clock ticked by. When they finally noticed, the staff was already closing up and the two of them were the last ones in the restaurant.

"I guess I'll bring you home now," Troy said, even though he didn't want to stop spending time with her. This was something he always wanted to do with her. He never would have imagined it to be that easy. He was happy.

Gabriella smiled lightly at him, while she was putting on her winter coat. "Are you really sure you want to drive all the way back to the other side of town, Troy? I can walk, it's really no problem for me, I mean, I am always walking, therefore-," she was interrupted by him taking her hand.

"Why don't you shut that pretty little mouth while I am taking you to my car and bring you home safely?" he said grinning at her.

She blushed and just nodded. Her hand getting warmer and warmer, while her heart was increasing its speed. She felt tingles where his thumb subconsciously caressed her hand. She had never felt something like this before.

Telling him the directions to her house, Troy drove as slowly as he could, wanting to spent more time with her.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" he asked interested.

"Nothing much, why?" she asked, afraid of his answer.

Troy smiled at her for a moment before focusing his eyes on the road again. "I was wondering if we could do something together, maybe grab a coffee or, maybe, just if you feel up to it, we could study together for that stupid math test, because I have a feeling that I am going to fail it," he admitted and smiled sheepishly at her.

Gabriella laughed out a short laugh. "Oh, I see, Bolton, that's how it is. You just wanted to drive me home so I would owe you one, huh?" she teased him.

"Well, if you look at it that way, why not?" he teased back, turning into her street. "I had a really nice time with you, Gabi," he said, turning to her while smiling.

Gabriella could only look into his piercing blue eyes. "Thanks, Troy. Me, too." She whispered and got out of the car. She waved him good-bye and waited until he was out of sight. Sighing, she turned around the corner and made her way to the smallest house in the street.

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**Hope you guys liked it. **

**xoxo Michelle**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys. I made it! I know, it's been a while, but I finally got it. I am working really hard on this and I have the feeling that there is another chapter soon to come. Hope you like it!  
**

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"Gabriella, honey, I told you to clean the windows in a circle motion not in an up and down motion, don't you ever listen to me?" Anna, Gabriella's mom criticized. This was just a normal Saturday for Gabriella. She had to clean the whole house, clean up after her mom's mess, since once a week she always has a "girls night in" as she likes to call it. She has to vacuum every single room in the one story house, clean the kitchen, the bathroom and do the laundry of her and her mom.

She sighed and nodded, while changing her up and down motion in a circling motion, just to satisfy her mom. "I am heading out now, hun, I'll see you….whenever. Try not to be here around 3ish please, I might have someone come over," she said and winked at her. Then proceeded to leave the house.

Great. 3ish? Was she serious? What was she supposed to do at 3 in the morning? Gabriella shook her head and continued on with cleaning the living room window.

3 hours later, she was finally finished with everything. The laundry was folded and back in its drawers. The windows shined, the bathroom smelled of lemon and the kitchen could finally be identified as a kitchen. The fridge was newly stocked with the main ingredients as was the little pantry.

Gabriella thought about going to the hospital to visit her little sister, but decided against it. She wasn't in the right mood for it. She couldn't handle it right now. So, she decided to go for a run. She changed into her workout clothes and started to run down her street and headed into the direction of the park.

She thought about the study date with Troy. He probably had already forgotten about it. Having her Ipod on full blast, she picked up her speed and let her thought wander. Why did he suddenly change his mind? Why did he defend her? Why was he so amazing to her? Why did they have such a great connection? Why did they have chemistry at all? She was from a whole other world. She didn't deserve one bit of him, she wasn't worth it. She wasn't worth those great feelings that -.

She suddenly felt two strong arms encircle her and pick her up. She screamed and kicked and tried to free herself, when she turned around she saw Troy grinning at her sheepishly. "Hey Gabi, I'm sorry I scared you, but I was yelling for you across the whole park and you didn't hear me, and once I realized that you had earplugs in I just ran up to you," he rambled and scratched the back of his head.

Gabriella was breathing heavily with a hand over her heart. "Dude, don't ever do that again, You scared the shit out of me!" she cursed. One second later, she realized what she said and put her hands over her mouth. "Sorry," she whispered and closed her eyes in embarrassment.

Troy laughed. "That's fine Gabi, I curse all the time, you don't need to be ashamed," he said and winked at her, he took a tiny step toward her, "and besides that, I think it's sexy when you curse," he admitted and made Gabriella blush.

"Study date," Gabriella blurted out. She wanted to change the subject, and that was the only thing that came to mind.

"What's that?"

She cleared her throat. "Didn't you want to study for math today?" she said quickly.

Troy broke out in a grin. "You would do that for me?" he said hopefully.

Gabriella giggled. "Yes, why wouldn't I? I like math and helping people," she confessed.

"Alright," he said, slowly letting go of her arms, "how about we'll meet each other here in an hour since it's such a nice day, we could just study outside. What do you say?"

Gabriella smiled. "I like that," and with that, both of them went back home and got ready for their study date.

An hour later, Gabriella found herself standing on front of Troy, who was laying on a blanket with a basket on it, in which, Gabriella assumed, would be tons of food. "Are you serious? I thought this was supposed to be a study session," she said, her hands on her hips in a accusing manner.

"It is," he exclaimed and got into a sitting position. "I just thought, after we are done with studying we might aswell take advantage of this beautiful day and have a picnic together," he told her, holding his hand out to her. She took it and he pulled her down onto the blanket.

"You surprise me almost every single time I see you, Troy Bolton," she admitted and smiled sweetly at him.

Troy smiled his crooked smile at her and blushed a little. "Why, thank you Miss Montez," he joked and nudged her shoulder. He clapped his hands. "Arlight, let's get this over with."

The next hour was filled with math questions and answers, every other curse word from Troy since he sometimes didn't get the answer right and some slight giggle from Gabriella since she thought Troy looked cute while he was concentrating.

"That's it!" Gabriella exclaimed. "That's the right answer Troy. You got it!"

Troy looked shocked at first. Then astounded and then just broke into a huge smile and hugged Gabriella with all his might. Both were so happy that they didn't even know what they were doing. Both of them pulled back slowly, their faces almost touching. Their noses inching closer and closer. Their eyes focused on each other.

Gabriella was frozen, she didn't know what to do. Should she pull back? Should she wait for him to do something? But before she could really think of something, she cleared her throat and took a deep breath, straightening up in the process and pulling back. Breaking the moment.

Troy took a deep breath and shook his head a little, to clear his head. "So, I wanted to ask you something," he said and looked at her flushed face. He smiled softly and took her hand in his. "There is this bonfire tonight, would you like to join me?" he said in a hopeful voice.

Gabriella didn't have a good feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Bonfire? Tonight? I don't know Troy," she said timidly. "I was never at such a thing before, I don't know if it would be such a good idea if I show up there, especially with you!" she exclaimed.

He squeezed her hands and caressed them with his thumb. "You don't need to worry about my friends or anyone for that matter, really!" he tried to persuade her.

She sighed. She really didn't know what to do or even if this was a good idea after all. Every single time she was near Troy or he was near her, almost everybody in school gave an nasty looks, called her names or even did something to her that would have never crossed her mind in the first place. She didn't know if he was worth it. She didn't know if he was playing with her, or if he really liked her. She sighed. "Alright, I'll be there, where is it?"

Troy broke out into a bright grin. "Awesome, I'll pick you up and bring you back home. Do you have a curfew?"

_Try not to be here around 3ish._ Her mother's words came back to her mind. "No, not at all. I can stay as long as we want to." She tried to smile.

"Great, so I'll be at your house at 8."

* * *

"I am so happy you are finally coming out of your little shell, Gabs," Sharpay exclaimed, while th three of them were hanging at Sharpay's house,

Gabriella smiled at her. "To be honest, I don't really know what to expect. Where is it gonna be again? The Clearing?" Gabriella asked and looked at her History paper again.

Taylor smiled at her, while looking for a cute outfit. She brought more than 4 different outfits to Sharpay's house, since she knew that Sharpay would end up collecting her clothes for her. "You will like it there. It is kinda creepy, since there is not a lot of light, but the bonfire will make the air really warm and there are so many spots where you can make out undetecte-" she was interrupted.

Sharpay held up a hand. "Alright, Tay. Why don't you start telling her that we saw fucking Bigfoot out there?! Do you wanna change her mind? Don't tell her about that!" she exclaimed and threw Gabriella a yellow top on her lap. "Try this on, Gabs."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. " I am not innocent, Sharpay. What do you think of me?" she asked, really curious. She did kiss a guy before.

Sharpay smiled at her sweet, while looking at herself in the mirror. "Oh, so you're telling me that you made out with a guy before, while being pressed against a tree in the dark?" she told her.

Gabriella choked. "No! What I meant is, that I have kissed a guy before!"

Taylor and Sharpay gave each other a knowing look. "Okay, Gabs. Whatever you say." Sharpay said while Taylor giggled.

"What time is Troy picking you up anyway?"

Gabriella looked onto the ground for a second. "Well...since I am already here, I thought maybe you could give me a ride and I will just meet him there." she confessed and looked sheepishly at Sharpay.

Sharpay just shrugged. "Fine with me, as long as you wear what I tell you to!"

Gabriella groaned loudly, which made Taylor and Sharpay laugh. "Kill me now," she said more to herself than to anyone else and the next thing she saw was Sharpay's grinning face closing iin on her. This is gonna be fun.

* * *

"I would have never thought anyone for that matter could convince Gabs to ever come to The Clearing, how the fuck did you do that, Bolton? I talk to her more than you do and yet, you ask her once and she seems to jump at that thought." Chad's voice rang in Troy's ears as the bot of them made their way into The Clearing.

Troy chuckled while concentrating oni the road. "Believe me, dude. It wasn't as easy as you think it was. It took me a lot of convincing." he said to him, while Chad only shook his head. He had finally done it. She had finally agreed to come with him to The Clearing. Well, she didn't come with him, but she would meet him there, which didn't really matter to Troy.

"I just hope, West High is not showing up, they should know by now, that The Clearing is our turf, not theirs." Chad said, filling the silence.

Troy exhaled soundly. "Tell me about it, I don't know why those fuckers even bother."

Chad shrugged his shoulders. "Apparently, we are just too much fun, which I can't really disagree with." He joked.

Troy chuckled, pulling up in front of the forest entrance, where already dozens of cars were parked. "Don't get ahead of yourself."

The both of them made their way towards The Clearing. Going further in the woods, they could hear the music getting louder. The laughter of their friends getting more dominant and the bonfire was illuminating the place in an extraordinary manner. "Let's get this shit on the road." Chad said while making his way over to the basketball team, Troy following suit.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

"I am going to freeze to death!" Gabriella exclaimed while the three girls were walking into the woods. Taylor and Sharpay both having a flashlight in their hands, but soon they realized that they didn't really needed them, for the bonfire was giving them enough light, to see the way ahead of them.

"Stop fucking complaining. You look amazing, thanks to me, and because of that Troy will do anything for you tonight." Sharpay replied and

"Would you both shut up. Look at this!" Taylor said and pointed at the East High student body that was dancing, laughing and talking and drinking. Everybody had a smile on their face and was obviously enjoying themselves. It was nicely warm in the whole Clearing, thanks to the bonfire and Gabriella's heartbeat sped up when she spotted Troy talking to his basketball friends. The music was blaring from two huge speakers and there were even some that were already making out against some trees.

Gabriella whistled lowly. "Hellooo bitches, welcome to East High." she said slowly, dumbstruck. She had never seen anything like that before. This seemed more like she was in a movie than. her real life. What has she been missing out on?

Sharapy gave her a little nudge on her shoulder. "Hmm, are you regretting now that you didn't come earlier, Gabs?" she asked knowingly. "Let's go get drunk!"

With that, the three of them made their way towards the basketball team. Having almost reached them, Gabriella saw that Troy turned his head and saw them approaching. He said something to the guy he was talking to and closed the distance to Gabriella. "You made it." he said somewhat relieved. "I was almost doubting you would come," he said earnestly and touched her arm, sliding his hand down. and linking their hands together.

Gabriella smiled up at him. "Sharpay couldn't decide what to wear." she admitted to him. Sparks were erupting from their linked hands. Her breathing was speeding up. "So this is The infamous Clearing, huh? That's what I've been missing out on?"

Troy laughed and pulled her hand, so that she had to take a step closer to him. "I guess so. How do you like it?" he asked, his piercing blue eyes sparking iin the light of the bonfire.

Gabriella shrugged. "I feel like I am more in a movie than anywhere else, right now." she admitted and laughed in embarrassment.

"Come on, I wanna introduce you to some people," and with that, Troy dragged her along the whole Clearing and introduced her to his friends who merely had friendly smiled on their faces and nodded a polite greeting. She didn't know what he had done, but it seemed to have worked.

Accepting the red cup with an unknown liquor in it from Taylor, she agreed with herself to enjoy this night. Who knew when she'd have another opportunity like that.

She smiled sweetly up at Troy from the rim of her cup and took a sip.

* * *

The alcohol was going through her system like water. She felt great. Troy and her were grinding with each other. Her hands were around his neck, playing with his little hairs there, his arms were snaked around her waist, keeping her exactly where she was right now. "I can't believe this is happening to me." she whispered into his ear. Her organ was pulsing. She never experienced something like that before.

"Get used to it, I don't plan on letting you go any time soon." was his response, his nose nuzzling in her curls. Tightening his arms around her, he felt brave enough and gave her a peck on her neck. When he felt her giving in and tilting her head to the other side, he immediately understood what she wanted.

She wanted more.

He started to lick her neck, to suck on it and to mark her. She was officially his. She was branded by him. "There's so much you don't know about me, Troy." she said in a fragile way.

They stopped moving with the music, they were just embracing each other and enjoying each other's company. "We have all the time in the world. Do you wanna do something tomorrow afternoon? We could get ice cream or just hang out in the park?" he suggested and caressed her cheek with his thumb.

Gabriella smiled tiredly at him. "I have to work til 3pm, after that I can do whatever the hell I want." she said tipsily.

Troy chuckled and kissed her cheek lightly. "That sounds great, Gabi."

Gabriella winced. "She always used to call me Gabi, too." she didn't give any further explanation for him. And he decided to not push it. She didn't need an emotional breakdown the first time she was in The Clearing.

"Fuck!" Troy heard someone yell. "What the hell do you want here?" he narrowed his eyes at the blue jacket he knew so well. Ladies and Gentleman,

West High had arrived.

Troy swore under his breath and looked for Sharpay and Taylor, he found them almost immediately and led Gabriella to them. "Can you-" he didn't even have to ask them. They took her for him and he went to the other boys who weren't looking very pleased with them showing up.

"Ah, Bolton, almost thought you weren't here, but of course you are." Tom Walker, the captain of the basketball team at West High said.

Troy smirked cockily. "Walker, what the fuck are you doing here? You know this is East High ground, you have no fucking reason to be here." he said dangerously low.

"You see, Bella here, thought she might check in with her sister, you know?" Walker said and looked behind him. Troy saw a girl approaching from behind Walker. She wasn't tall, but she was dressed like a slut. Her mini skirt almost revealed her crotch and her cleavage was showing more than necessary.

Troy narrowed his eyes once again. "What the fuck are you talking about?" Chad spoke up and balled his hands into fists.

You didn't know that you had a traitor in your school? Tsk, tsk," Walker said and grinned evilly. His eyes focusing on Gabriella. "I believe you know her well, Bolton. I think she is your favorite girl at East High, isn't she?"

Troy hears a sharp intake of breath behind him, but didn't dare turn around. "Why don't you go fuck yourself and leave, before I'll give you a black eye." Troy threaded.

Walker put up his arms in defense and started to take some steps back. "Hey Gabi, how's mom treating you?" Bella said and smirked at her. Bella swung her arm around Walker's torso and the two of them made their way of The Clearing, followed by the rest of the West High boys and girls.

Someone turned up the music again and most people started to continue as if nothing had happened. Troy slowly turned around and saw that Gabriella was still frozen in shock. He sprinted over to her and took her face into his hands. "It's gonna be okay, Gabi. Don't worry-" Gabriella pushed him aside. She was running as fast as she could towards the woods.

The second she was there, she started to throw up. The alcohol and the shock wasn't good for her stomach at all. "Gabi, let me bring you home. We don't have to talk about it, now." Troy told her, rubbing her back soothingly.

"Thank you. I am really sorry, Troy." she apologized and put her head on is shoulder.

Troy sighed and kissed he forehead. "There is nothing to apologize for anything alright? Let's bring you home."

Her darkest fear was revealed.

Her sister was about to torment and destroy her life once again.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Hope you liked it. :))  
**

**xoxo Michelle  
**


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